19 June 2008

Press Release of the Mission regarding certain unfounded allegations contained in the recent report of the Institute for Science and International Security, about Iran’s peaceful nuclear program

19 June 2008

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

This Permanent Mission strongly rejects the unfounded references made to, and baseless allegations raised against, Iran in the recent report by the President of the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), David Albright, on the so-called “Advanced Nuclear Weapons Designs”, that was reflected by some media, including by the Washingtonpost on June 15, 2008.

This is not the first time that journalistic fictions have been fabricated to serve the same purpose that some US officials have been striving for, namely distorting the facts and misleading the international public opinion about the peaceful nuclear program of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

For instance, in September 15, 2004 the same person had unfoundedly claimed that Iran is carrying out military nuclear activities in Parchin site. It did not take long for the IAEA to find out that this story was a sheer lie. And the Agency in various reports including in Paragraph 25 of its very latest report on Iran’s peaceful nuclear program has stressed that this site has had no relations to nuclear activities, let alone any military nuclear activity. Mr. Albright’s new story has no better standing than his previous allegations that have proven to be entirely untrue.

Iran’s nuclear program has been, is, and will remain absolutely peaceful. Therefore, Iran never had, nor has any interest or intention to seek for nuclear weapons designs. The latest IAEA Director General’s report attests to the exclusively peaceful nature of the nuclear program of the Islamic Republic of Iran, both in the past and at present. The report also shows that Iran, as a responsible and transparent member of the NPT, is fully committed to its international obligations with regard to its peaceful nuclear program, and has been robustly cooperating with the Agency. The Agency has repeatedly stressed in numerous reports that it “has been able to continue to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in Iran”.

By conducting all its present activities, including the enrichment, under the full and continuous monitoring of the IAEA based on the IAEA Statute, the NPT and the comprehensive safeguards agreement on one hand, and resolving the six past outstanding issues according to the agreed Work Plan on the other, the Islamic Republic of Iran has removed any so-called “concerns” or “ambiguities” with regard to its peaceful nuclear activities in the past and at present.

Undoubtedly, no amount of smear campaign, distortion and fabrication, be it disseminated by the US officials themselves or through certain tools and channels such as ISIS, can cloud the clear fact that to date no single credible evidence has been presented to substantiate the allegations made against Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, nor can it weaken the resolve of the Iranian nation to insist on exercising its inalienable rights for peaceful uses of nuclear technology in full conformity with its international rights and obligations.